A Book and it's Cover
by luminarayne
Summary: Muffy Carmines has always been judged by her appearance, never by her personality. Jack Bernhardt has always had the same problem. Could his arrival change both of their lives? Jack
1. Chapter 1

Ever since she was a young girl, Muffy Carmines had believed in fairy tales and fantasies, of secret loves and of heroic rescues. Her father had always used to read her stories of princesses and castles, of dungeons and dragons, of good versus evil.

But that seemed ages ago.

Her mother had died of scarlet fever when she was nine and her brother Casey had just gone off to fight in the battle of land: war. Muffy detested that word. It made her think of sorrow and mourning for the lost and departed, like how she had mourned for her mother. The day she died, her father had become hard and stern, like wood. Muffy and her father lived together in a small valley in England.

Life was ever so slow in the valley, like a winter day spent by the fire. Muffy's father was the bar tender at the local bar, which was also their home, and to keep it, Muffy worked by her father as the waitress, as she was sometimes referred to. Along with being stern, her father had also become very over protective of his only daughter. Then again with her working at a bar mostly occupied by men, what father wouldn't be?

Griffin had to watch Muffy extra carefully though, for she was by far the most beautiful young woman in Forget-Me-Not Valley. Griffin would always catch men staring after his daughter with their hungry eyes and eager hands…wanting her for themselves. He would stare them down and crack his knuckles and they were gone as fast as they had come. Especially with Muffy working at the bar, the men never stopped coming on to her and soon Griffin feared he wouldn't be able to fend them off. What was a father to do?

Muffy had just finished cleaning up the table from the last group of people when she heard a clang of silverware hit the floor. She looked up and saw that two big ugly brutes had both dropped their forks on the ground. They wore smug smiles on their faces and motioned to their misplaced utensils.

Muffy sighed, waltzed over and picked them up as quickly as possible. She set them on the table, gave a quick smile, and started to walk away when she felt a smack on her ass. That was the fourth time today that some drunken bastard had felt it was okay to do such a vile thing. Instead of taking it like she normally did, she pivoted on her heel and slapped him hard across the face.

He looked shocked and confused and turned to his friend. "I thought whores liked that…"

That was it. She pulled off her apron and marched to the home portion of the bar, slamming the door to her room.

Her father had seen the small episode and kicked the two thugs out onto the cobblestone streets. "And STAY OUT! Learn to respect a lady and maybe become gentlemen YOURSELVES!" Griffin slammed the door and walked through the more home like part of the bar and knocked on his daughter's door.

"Muffy? Are you alright?" Griffin waited for a response, but received nothing. He gave an exasperated sigh. "Get back to work…we have customers to think of. I know you have to put up with this shit but I need your help out here."

Muffy hugged her pillow while sitting on her bed, thinking of all the times she put up with men and their smacks and cracks at her. "Hey baby, come here often?" or how about "What's a girl like you doing in a place like this?" or even "Hey baby, can I get some fries with that shake?" Muffy was sick and tired of the same old lines and the same old losers and the same old life… Why couldn't she leave? Her father needed her help… Why couldn't she find a respectable man to love? Because there weren't any…

After arguing with herself about her life and why she even bothers, Muffy got up, retrieved her apron, and continued mixing drinks. She heard her father come up behind her and give her a pat on the back. "That's my girl."

After work, she went out to her favorite spot in the woods. It was very well hidden with all of the thick-branched trees and bushes. In fact, Muffy wouldn't have ever found it if it hadn't been for her blindly running out of the bar one night after another sexual harassment and continuously running until she found herself in her sanctuary…

She spread herself out on the grass carpeted meadow floor and stared up at the stars. They were so calm and peaceful sitting up there looking down at the world. All she wanted was to settle down with a man that cared about more than her looks…a man who treated her like a lady, not some prostitute looking for money…if only… She was hoping a shooting star would pass by and let her make a wish. It was childish but she always hoped that fairy tales could come true…would come true…

No shooting stars shot by that night. Muffy let out a sigh and started her trek back to the bar…to the real world.

**At that very moment…**

"Come on Colin! Come on! Get in the car boy!" Jack called to his dog from across the airport. His dog was in the middle of sniffing a lone sock that must have fallen out of someone's suitcase. Hearing his master's voice, Colin's ears rose and he bounded across the airport and into the car, his tail wagged furiously as if to say "Let's go already! Let's go, let's go, let's go!"

Jack hopped into the cab and told the driver to take them to Mineral Town's outskirts. The driver looked puzzled and asked them why they were looking to go near the deep forest. "We're actually traveling from the dirt road into Forget-Me-Not Valley. Me and Colin here are starting a new life there. I heard you can't drive into the valley…is that true?"

"Yeah…", the driver started, obviously confused and a little concerned, "but why would you want to live there? It's so…isolated and old fashioned…but I'm not you and I don't know your reasons so don't pay any attention to me…to the forest it is, sir." Jack gave Colin a nervous glance. He had heard from his uncle that it was a nice place to live…hopefully this man had no idea what he was talking about…he hoped…

Jack looked out the window. He watched all of the buildings as he passed by. A few women looked in the window at him; they looked at each other, and then started smiling and whispering. Some waved in his direction and others walked right by. He smiled and then stared straight ahead.

Jack Bernhardt had always been attractive. He was a decently handsome guy with a great personality and nice, yet disheveled brown hair. Women always seemed to fall for him…it was almost a given. They were nice traits to have, sure…but he didn't feel they should fall for his looks. He wasn't even a cocky guy! If they knew him a little better, they would fall for him…not his looks.

But people are people…plain and simple. If they see what they like, they want it without question. He sometimes found himself feeling that way when he saw a beautiful woman…he would shake it off and give her a polite smile or a nod of recognition. He hadn't found the right girl yet, though. There were plenty of really great ones out there…just not the one for Jack. Sure he had dated plenty of women in his lifetime but he was waiting for the right woman to settle down with…to start a family. Even though he was only twenty-three, he was ready for a serious relationship and marriage, even children…and he was hoping that he could find what he was looking for in his new home, Forget-Me-Not Valley.

Jack was awakened from his thoughts when the cab driver pulled to a stop in the middle of a thickly grown forest. The road had become rocky and gravelly and the sky seemed to disappear from the world…as if the trees had become the sky, with their tall rising branches that seemed to go on forever.

Colin bounded out of the car and onto the forest floor, anxiously sniffing everything in sight. Jack got out of the car and helped the driver with his two bags of necessities, from the clothing right down to the toothbrush, and the driver pointed them in the direction they had to travel. Jack thanked him, tipped him, and the driver drove off toward civilization, leaving Jack and his dog in the forest alone. Colin barked and bounded off down the path, with Jack right at his side.

After fifteen minutes worth of walking, they came to the peak of the mountain. Colin stood at the top, barking and yipping, his tail going a hundred miles and hour as Jack came beside him, slightly out of breath, and dropped his bags beside him.

Jack looked up to find himself staring out at the hidden valley, the ocean farther out, and he even spotted the farm that he was inheriting and going to live in for the rest of his life…supposedly. "Colin, it's beautiful isn't it? We're going to have a great life here. It's small enough to walk everywhere, but spacious enough for everyone to live comfortably…and it seems nice and peaceful. Come on, lets go!"

Jack grabbed his bags and, with Colin leading the way, they headed down towards their new home.


	2. Chapter 2

Muffy made it home without any strange men commenting on any of her body parts, making catcalls, or anything. It was the most peaceful walk home she had had in a while and actually, when she thought about it, she hadn't seen any men out and about at all. It was rather strange…just as she was about to grab the door handle to the bar, she saw movement out of the corner of her eye. It was coming from the path that lead into town, rarely traveled on at this time of night. Surely any stray drunks were home by now, or passed out in a shrub of some kind somewhere.

She turned all the way around to see a medium sized animal bounding toward her. It stopped, looked behind, barked twice, and slowly trotted forward. It was a yellow lab…strange…

It stopped in front of Muffy and wagged its tail, waiting to be pet. She fulfilled its need and scratched its ears. "Where did you come from baby? You're so cute! Surely you didn't travel all this way by yourself!" She looked up and sure enough, she saw a male figure walking toward her, carrying two big bags.

The dog turned and bounded back toward its master, barking and yipping, its tail going faster and faster. The silhouette of the man kept moving toward her, laughing and talking to the dog, readjusting his heavy load and switching from arm to arm. Muffy realized, by what she could make out in the starlight, that he was very attractive with his decently strong build and handsome face…but she had learned long ago that a pretty face meant nothing.

She turned the handle and, hoping that he hadn't seen her yet, slipped through the door as quietly as possible.

After she had made it to her room, she heard the voice of Takakura, the recent keeper of the deserted Harmony Farm, and, whom she could only assume was the stranger, speaking to one another. Their voices seemed to drift off and finally disappear into the night.

Muffy peaked out her bedroom window to find that the farm at the way top of Pickers Hill seemed to light up. Soon all of the lights were on and she was able to make out the outline of the front portion of the farm. A barn for animals, a storage tower, and two houses lit up the night.

After a while, the lights started going off, one by one, when finally the only lights left was coming from the house that had once belonged to the previous owner of Harmony Farm and Takakura's house. Muffy had only been up there a few times when she was smaller and curious about everything. It was a nice farm and Takakura seemed to do a good job in keeping it that way. Finally, the light in the house went out, as well as Takakura's.

Muffy, deciding there was nothing else to see, also clicked off her light and drifted into a dreamful sleep, filled with images of the handsome stranger and his adorable dog.


	3. Chapter 3

Jack slept a very peaceful, undisturbed sleep. He had finally made it the previous day and met Takakura, an old friend of his long dead father and the keeper of the grounds. He had dreamed of the days when he and his father had lived far away in the city with his mother. They had been a happy family until one day his father had left them without so much as a note to where he was going, why he left, or a goodbye. He hadn't heard from his father since until he received a letter from Takakura stating that his father was in fact dead and had left his farm to Jack.

Jack's alarm clock went off and he found himself in his father's old farmhouse. Why his father had never written to him about his wonderful farm was beyond Jack. Jack pushed himself onto his elbows and rubbed his eyes. He looked around the dimly lit room to find Colin fast asleep on the rug at the foot of the bed. Colin started to twitch in his sleep and finally slumped as if dead. Jack smiled to himself and swung his legs over the side of the bed. Time to start farm life.

Jack waltzed into the kitchen to find the refrigerator almost completely empty except for a small apple and bottle of water. His head hung low for a second as he let out a sigh, for he had realized he had forgotten to pack food. "Huh, well that's great. I guess next time I should triple check my inventory…I wonder if I could borrow something from Takakura…"

Jack took a quick shower, put on the closest clothes he could find, slipped on his backpack, and walked out the door, making sure it didn't slam behind him. The morning was young and the new spring air hit Jack with full force. He stretched his sore legs and stretched his arms up to the lightly star-speckled sky, looking around at the morning dew on the grass and listening to the soft coo of a morning dove. He walked over to Takakura's house and put his head against the door, trying to listen for any breathing or movement.

Just then a door closed and Jack turned around to see Takakura walking outside with a small cow in tow. Takakura had shown him the new cow just last night but Jack had been too tired to realize what was even going on. The cow wandered over to the grass and started munching. Takakura turned around and gave Jack a little wave and nod as if to show his recognition. Takakura had a sharp chiseled face as if out of stone with aged black hair. He had an extremely dark tan for he was always working out in the fields tending to the animals and working around the farm to keep it in tip top shape.

"Well hello Jack. I didn't think you would be up this early, but you do resemble your father in looks, maybe some of his farming genes are in you as well. This is the new cow I got for you as a start, but I'm not sure you were awake enough to remember." Takakura smiled at Jack's immediate embarassment. Apparently Jack hadn't been the only one to notice his lack of attention last night. "I didn't give her a name yet, and she had a calf a while back so she's all ready for milking. You can milk her twice a day, early in the morning and later in the evening." He stood there obviously waiting for Jack to respond, but he didn't know quite what to say. "So…what should her name be …or are you still thinking?"

"Oh! Sorry I kind of zoned out. Uh…how about Sarah? I had an aunt named Sarah…" Takakura seemed to ponder on Jack's name choice and finally smiled. "It seems to be a perfect name for your first cow. Sarah! Come here girl!" Takakura took out a small bell and it gave a faint yet sweet sound and the cow looked up from the grass it had been happily munching, straightened up, and made its way over to Takakura and Jack.

Surprisingly, this cow seemed to have personality, for when it came up to them, it immediately started nudging Jack and gave a small moo, as if to say it was a pleasure in making his acquaintance.

"Well now! Sarah seems to be quite content with you! Just brush her and talk to her twice a day at least if you really want her to give you the best milk possible." Jack turned to Takakura with a purely confused expression upon his face.

Takakura seemed to notice right away for he then began to explain. "You see Jack, cows have to be milked twice a day or else they become sick. The more your cow loves you, the better quality milk you will receive and in the long run that's probably one of the things you will want to focus on. You must keep your cow happy. And, if you do this, your cow will produce more milk than the average three bottles a normal cow will give. Do you follow?" Jack nodded his head as a sign of understanding and Takakura clapped his hands together with a loud smack. "Wonderful! Well, I have business to attend to in Mineral Town so I best be leaving. You'll be fine. Oh, and since it's a nice day, bring Sarah outside so you won't have to worry about her not getting fed enough fodder. If it starts to rain, bring her in. No one wants to stand outside in the rain. Since its early, why don't you milk Sarah and start to familiarize yourself with the valley? Take a walk, meet people, talk. Me, I'm not much of a people person but I advise you to make sure you get yourself acquainted with them. There's a variety of people in this valley…and when I say variety, hell, do I mean variety. You'll see for yourself. Alright I'm off. Have a nice day and I'll see you around three in the afternoon. Enjoy the farm life kid!"

After a small smile and a quick wave, Takakura strolled away to the high road where Jack and Colin had made their way to the valley. It was the only road out and the only road in.

Jack rung the outside bell and Sarah quickly (well as a quickly as cows usually move anyway) made her way out the door. Colin had followed him outside and had hopped the fence of the lush green field. It was a pretty decent sized field. It held a lone tree in the middle along with a small pond right in front of the tree. The tree was in full bloom now and the pink petals from the cherryblossom flowers fluttered down into the pond, riding the air like a wave.

Sarah was happily munching on the newly grown grass as Jack waited patiently for her to finish. Finally she lifted her head and walked toward Jack, as if ready and waiting to be milked. As Jack squatted so to be eye-level with the utters, he realized he had a problem. He had never milked a cow before and had no idea as to how. Takakura had left without saying anything to him about the process of milking or anything of that sort. Jack was at a complete and total loss.

"Well, I guess I could give it a shot…" Jack shifted a little so he was directly in front of the utters. They didn't look too complicated. They were as he had seen in pictures; four pink utters hanging from the underside of the cow's belly.

Jack slowly moved his hand towards one of the closer utters and closed his hand around it. It was warm and slightly fuzzy, although it looked rather slick and hairless. Sarah shifted her head towards him, watching him with questioning eyes. Jack gave a short squeeze, yet nothing came out. He tried again. Still nothing. The next time, Jack shifted his hand farther up the utter, and with slight force, he squeezed while pulling down. Warm milk came squirting out into the bucket. Jack was quite pleased with himself and looked up at Sarah with a big smile on his face. To his content, she gave a soft moo as to show her satisfaction.

Jack continued on until, finally, no more milk would come. He had managed to fill 2 buckets, which would fit into four bottles. Jack rose from his sitting position and took out the brush that Takakura had left him. He brushed Sarah and he talked to her until she gave him a soft nuzzle and wandered off on her own.

Jack stretched with his back arched and arms reaching towards the sky. He looked around only to realize his work for the day was completed. He was now free to do what he wanted…but what was there to do?


	4. Chapter 4

All of a sudden, Colin gave a loud bark and following that he gave a low dangerous growl. "Whoa whoa easy little guy! I didn't mean to intrude! I heard there was a new face in town and I just wanted to meet the rumor! Please don't hurt me…"

Jack hopped the fence and turned the corner around the barn to find a guy with dirty blond hair in a light blue jacket backing slowly up towards the wall. He wore slacker clothes and a big peace sign around his neck. His hands were held up and his face was contorted into a nervous grin, trying to shoo the dog away from him. Colin was inching forward, looking like he was ready for the kill.

Jack stepped in between the two and shooed Colin away. Jack turned to find the weird guy half slumped against the barn wall with relief. "Phew that was close! Your dog was about to have me for breakfast!" He gave a rediculously goofy grin at his own little joke. "I'm Rock, I live almost right across the street from you at the Inner Inn. I heard there was a new owner of the farm in town and I just wanted to welcome you to Forget-Me-Not Valley! What's your name?"

Rock put out his hand and Jack took a half step forward while shaking it. "My name's Jack Bernhardt. I'm from the city and I just inherited this farm...and I have no idea what I'm doing." Rock let out a hearty laugh as Jack smiled. "Awesome! Some humor is what this valley needs. Welcome to the slow life, Jack!" Rock patted him hard on the shoulder and looked around the farm. "Cool you have a cow?! Awesome…"

Jack followed as Rock walked around and looked into each building. Finally Rock turned to Jack and said, "Hey want to have one of the best tours in town? It's free!" Jack half rolled his eyes and smiled, "Now how could I pass up anything free?" Rock took that sarcasm as a yes and started walking forward. "Follow me!"

"…And over HERE is…" Rock had lead Jack almost everywhere in the valley. They had gone to a musician's named Gustafa, a mad-scientist's named Daryl, an artist's named Cody, a pyrotechnicians' named Casey and Patrick, a manor owned by an old woman named Romana along with her young granddaughter, Lumina, and their butler, Sebastian, an athlete named Wally along with his wife, Chris, and his son, Hugh, an old couple named Galen and Nina, and an archeologist's named Carter along with his assistant, Flora. They had three more stops to go.

"Here is Vesta's farm. She runs it along with her brother, Marlin, and a woman named Celia. Vesta is really nice but a bit rough...plus she sells seeds and stuff so I bet you two will be friends in no time! Marlin is always quiet and grumpy for whatever reason I don't know. Then there's Celia…" Rock stopped talking and seemed to be staring straight ahead. Jack waved his hand in front of Rock's face and, when he didn't respond, followed his eyes.

There in the fields stood a beautiful young woman. Her brown flowing hair just passed her shoulders and her green plaid dress blew in the breeze. She wore a lighter shade green apron and a soft orange bandana. She was carrying a wicker basket full of fresh strawberries straight off the vine. With her hand shielding the sun out of her eyes, she spotted Rock and Jack and smiled. She made her way over to the side of the fence where they stood. Rock was still in awe and, without Celia noticing, Jack gave him a hard slap on the back. Rock gasped at the pain.

"Hey Rock! How are things at the Inn? Did Ruby and Tim get their order of tomatoes on time? And who's your friend?" Rock stood there nodding like an idiot as Celia's smiling face turned puzzled. Jack glanced at Rock and when he realized Rock was in no condition to make casual conversation, he introduced himself. "Hi I'm Jack. I just moved here and I own the farm up the street. You must be Celia. It's nice to meet you."

Celia turned to face Jack, her brown eyes turning copper in the bright golden sun. "Yes I'm Celia. I work here at the farm and sell seeds and other farming necessities. Would you like a strawberry? I'd offer one to Rock, but it looks like it would fall right out of his mouth its gaping so wide! What's he staring at?" Jack shrugged as Celia handed Jack a strawberry and waved her hand in front of Rock's glazed eyes. "Well I better get back to work! The strawberries aren't going to pick themselves! It was nice meeting you Jack." She gave a warm smile and handed him another strawberry. "Come back anytime." She gave him a quick wave goodbye and headed out into the fields.

Jack turned to leave but then realized Rock was still gaping into empty space. Jack sighed, walked back to Rock, and stuffed the strawberry into his mouth. Rock gave a start and spit out the strawberry into his hand. "What are you trying to do, kill me? I almost choked to death on this!" Rock took a big bite out of the strawberry. "Isn't she amazing?…and hot?" Jack rolled his eyes and started off again. "Sure sure. Come on I wanted a tour not a woman rating service. Lead on."


End file.
